Spark gap devices are used in detonator firing mechanisms, high intensity discharge lighting systems, and numerous other environments.
Prior art spark gap devices are highly unreliable and have extremely short lives. Most spark gap devices include a pair of spaced cone-shaped electrodes in a glass or ceramic gas filled housing. At an average breakdown voltage of approximately 1.5 kilovolts, these prior art devices usually fail after about 15,000 firings for one of two reasons. In the first failure mode, the electrode material sputters and becomes affixed to the inside of the glass or ceramic surface of the housing thereby causing a short. In the second failure mode, the heat generated as the device is fired over time shatters the glass or ceramic housing. In addition, these types of prior art devices are likely sources of EMI and RFI. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain a reliable seal between the metal bases and the ceramic or glass housing.
Higher reliability, longer life spark gap devices are expensive to manufacture and cannot be used efficiently in many kinds of products due to their high cost.